Four Frugal Things & One Frugal Fail
A few frugal things from my trip with Sonia last week, to start us off!
1. I planned a week of meals for Sonia and me
Sonia's got a number of food allergies, which means that eating out is a little bit of a challenge.
Happily, our rental had a full kitchen, so to keep costs down and also to work around her allergies, I planned for us to eat in on our trip.
And I worked up a menu plan before we left.
We stayed in Avon, which is a pretty remote part of the OBX, so it's not like there were tons of restaurant options anyway! Eating in made sense on a lot of levels.
2. I brought some ingredients from home
For example, I knew I wanted to make chicken katsu, so I made a batch of tonkatsu sauce, put it in a small Ball jar, and packed it in the cooler.
I also brought panko (from Aldi) and I poured some jasmine rice (also from Aldi) into a container to bring along.
I also packed a little jar of oil, brought my salt and pepper, and measured the spices for baked ziti into a little plastic sauce container that I'd saved from a takeout meal.
I bought fresh ingredients, such as meat, eggs, and dairy once we got to the beach. But by packing some of the shelf-stable stuff from home, I was able to buy fewer groceries at the beach.
(No Aldi on the OBX!)
3. I strategically packed food to bring home
We did a pretty bang-up job of using up the perishable food from our trip, but of course, there was some that needed to be brought home.
The night before we left, I froze the milk, the half-package of bacon, and the butter.
Then the next morning I packed those in the cooler, along with some things from the fridge. This is a double win; the frozen food is guaranteed to stay cold on the drive home, and those frozen foods act as an ice pack to help keep the rest of the food chilled.
The only things I had to throw away were some oat milk (no space in the cooler!) and the last bit of leftover shrimp from our seafood boil.
Overall, I consider that to be a pretty big success, because vacation food waste is so super hard to avoid.
4. I picked some mulberries
On my usual walking route, there's a big mulberry tree, and I was pretty sure all the mulberries would have fallen off by the time I got back from the beach.
But I am happy to say that I was wrong. Yay!
So, I picked a quart of them yesterday.
5. (the fail) I ordered the wrong cat-scratching sheets
You know how I was pleased with myself for ordering the furniture protector sticky sheets to keep Miss Chiquita from scratching my leather furniture?
Well, I opened them up and started applying them and THEN I read the label.
Which says, "Don't use on leather furniture." See?
Whoops! All the furniture I'm trying to protect is leather. Sigh.
Soooo, I will probably give these away on my Buy Nothing group and then I will order some that are safe for leather furniture.
This is what comes of placing online orders too quickly. 😉
Your turn! What frugal things have you been up to?
(and feel free to include a fail if you want!)
We have those same cat-scratching sheets stuck to our bedroom window—oof our boys had a habit of clawing/squeaking the glass when he wanted us to wake up for breakfast! The sticky sheets thankfully nixed that. While I’m sad the sheets won’t work as intended on your furniture, I’d suggest keeping them around in case Chiquita decides she fancies other surfaces.
FFT, Garden Goblins
—I’ve been making comical amounts of pesto to keep up with our basil, which is in danger of becoming sentient, it’s growing so fast! (“Day of the Triffids,” anyone?) Pine nuts are pricy and I don’t like walnuts, so we make pesto with basil, garlic, lemon, oil, Parmesan, and pepper. Pesto salmon, pesto pasta, pesto, pesto, pesto!
—Our lettuce and kale are big enough to make proper salads now! Our radishes only grew greens because it got hot so fast, so I harvested all of them and planted green beans in their place. According to my seed info sheet, they’ll do fine in the heat and it’s not too late to plant them since they mature quickly.
—A green-thumbed friend has declared our yard the refuge for the plants she’s thinned out of her own garden to keep it healthy. She brought and planted (with my newbie assistance) over two dozen irises, day lilies, wild garlic, and a myriad of other low-water/low maintenance things, with more to come! I’m actually under order to not buy any greenery or seeds for our yard, as she has a backlog of saved seeds (including poppies, which I’ve always wanted) and still more of her flowerbeds to thin. I’m grateful for the help achieving my goal of a yard full of flowers and clover to avoid mowing and watering. I pay her in fancy coffee from a nearby locally owned coffee shop, and she’s often over for dinner in the summer when her schedule (high school teacher) is less hectic.
—Habitat Restore bestowed two metal trellises for 50 cents each. Now my peas and cucumbers have something to climb! They quickly outgrew the smaller trellises I initially bought.
—Speaking of growing, holy coy, are my two pumpkin vines getting big! I thankfully had two folding metal drying racks I wasn’t using, so the vines now have something to cling to as they surpass their giant container. The drying racks were $2.50 on clearance and haven’t been used since we moved,* so I’m glad of their new lease on life.
*The dryer in our apartment building only worked when set to “nuclear,” so I hung everything that wasn’t heavy-duty over the bathtub to air dry. The dryer that came with our house has a multitude of settings, including an “air dry only” for bras and underwear. Thus, no more drying racks! Before anyone mentions a clothesline, it’s not uncommon for the wind here to suddenly go from zero to 25-50 mph. I’d rather not have to scavenger hunt our neighbors’ yards for our underthings!
@N, that was supposed to be “one of our boys,” not “oof!”
@N, For what it's worth, I make pesto with almonds.
I make pesto with almonds too, after one too many pine-mouth incidents. It's a thing.
I also mentally compared my plants to Triffids. Fortunately I have the solution right at hand too: seawater, heh.
@N, For me pesto is more of a process then a recipe. No pine nuts anymore: almonds, pecans, walnuts and plain.
@Rose, pine-mouth is real. For me, it can last a long time, too. yuck
I had to google that! I'd never heard of it before today.
@Rose, I make pesto with toasted walnuts. It tastes pretty good and is a little more cost-effective. I toast the walnuts myself at the beginning of the pesto making process.
@N, I googled pine-mouth--yeow! Bon Appetit says it is caused by raw pine nuts. I'm wondering if it would help to toast the pine nuts before using? And would they still be good in the pesto if so--ideas anyone?
@N,
Envying you your almost-sentient basil. Mine has never, ever, grown big and full. Last year, it didn't even survive *at all*. Sigh. hoping this year is better!
@Liz B., my basil and rosemary were the only cheats this year, as I bought them as plant starts--from Trader Joe's of all places--whereas everything else is from seed. All I can say is that those $2.50 plant starts are determined, so maybe grab one if you've a TJ's nearby? I promise it's not any skill of mine that's spawned said sentient basil!
@N,
Good to know! Mine are plant starts from a local nursery. Everything else I buy from there grows like gangbusters....basil, not so much. I'll have to try a TJ's basil plant, thanks for the tip!
@Rose, My pine-mouth is weird. Sometimes it happens, sometimes not. But I avoid them all now because it's not a fun thing when it does happen.
Not much frugal here. Some weeks are hard. But we bought a tree (redbud)this week to replace a dying one ( kazan cherry) , because our front porch needs shade. Not exactly frugal, but the tree will help the front porch stay usable in the heat of the summer afternoon.
I have tried many things to get my cats to stop scratching the couches, and pretty much have given up. They figured out how to scratch under the plastic sheets , and defeated a few other methods. So I'm resigned to having ruined couches. However, if you find something that works, please link to it!
@mbmom11, I put silicone claw covers on my cats. My younger cat is destructive and attacks my senior cat (when I got her 10 yrs ago she was already front declawed), so these helped to just verbal fussing and fighting. The original brand is Soft Paws, but I get a generic bundle off Amazon. After the initial application we replace them as they loose one. (Cats shed claws in layers/sheathes. These were invented by a vet.)
@mbmom11, same here! They have defeated every product and trick, and I won’t declaw. So I have non-expensive upholstered furniture that doesn’t show the damage too terribly much. And my true friends don’t care. Frequent nail clipping is the only thing that helps lessen the behavior. Of course my cats don’t like it, but get semi-used to it eventually, and I learned some ways to make it easier on us all, mostly involving petting, brushing, and special treats.
Good luck!
I picked up two freebies from Kroger coupons I had received in the mail - smoothies and beef jerky.
The kids got free food one day at the school summer food program truck. We never get it because the drive to the nearest location is just not worth it, but I timed our weekly library trip to be there when the truck came, so they received food for lunch Friday and breakfast and lunch for the weekend.
Books, audiobooks on Libby, and movies from the library. I have a hard time getting my oldest to sit down and read, but he will listen to audiobooks all day long.
I found several pairs of pants that still looked brand new for my oldest at Goodwill.
FFT, The First Week Edition:
(1) First, I want to thank the more than 180 of you (at last count) who commented on yesterday's update about my DH's passing. I'll have more to say about this on Thankful Thursday (and maybe answer a few of your questions), of course. But all the beautiful things you dear people said, all the quotations, all the online love...well, I shed good tears over these. A supportive community is truly frugal, in the deepest and best senses of the term.
(2) My IRL communities have been here for me as well. Among many other kindnesses, the neighbors have seen to it that I haven't had to cook for myself. I understand better than ever why people bring food to the bereaved: The bereaved don't want to eat, and they're apt to make blunders in the kitchen. (The less said about the one dinner I tried to make for myself, the better.)
(3) One of the neighbors not only had me and two other friends over to dinner Thursday night, but got us started telling funny stories about our DHs' shared adventures and misadventures. (Her DH, who died two years ago, was a long-time remodeling/construction crony of my DH.) We laughed till her porch rafters rang. There have been times in the last few years when I was afraid that the memories of the sad aspects of caregiving might block out the memories of the many good years and good times, but friends like these are already helping me get the good memories back. Priceless.
(4) Another pair of friends (the director of the cognitive care programs that DH attended in his early stages, and the widow of a "classmate" of DH's in these programs) met me at a nearby park Sunday morning for a long walk around the big pond there. Exercise, talk, and watching wildlife: All good, all free. (The director also brought me a set of Marx Brothers DVDs she said she wasn't using, after I'd told her earlier that I'd used some of my backlog of Amazon Prime Video credits to rent "A Night at the Opera" one late evening!)
(5) And my good JASNA friend from the next city over (and her mother, who lives here) took me out to lunch yesterday and spent the afternoon with me. Other JASNA friends have checked in, and of course JASNA BFF has been in constant touch (now that we're both "de jure" widows; we've been calling ourselves "De Facto" and "De Jure" since her husband died last year). So my Jane Austen community, too, is here for me.
@A. Marie,
So glad to hear that you are receiving love and support IRL too. I hope the happy memories and years of laughter bring you comfort.
@A. Marie,
So glad to hear that you & those close to you have been able to reminisce & celebrate your husband’s “life well lived” - a great way to give yourself peace & solace also.
@A. Marie,
It's sad that you know so many widows, but wonderful that they are there to share with you and walk you through this difficult time. Friends like that are indeed priceless.
So, so true. No one gets you quite like someone who has walked the same path!
A. Marie, it says something really good about you and your husband that so many are rallying round for you at this time. And the Marx Brothers always cheer me up.
One of my (many) favorite Groucho jokes was when he asked if he could play golf at our local super snooty country club. No Jews allowed, he was told. He said, "My kids are only half-Jewish. Could they shoot nine holes?"
@A. Marie, I'm so glad to see you here.
@A. Marie, so good to hear from you and hear how wonderfully your friends are taking care of you.
I am so so very happy that you have so many people caring for you.
And yes, funny memories of a loved one who has passed...so priceless! It is wonderful to laugh in the midst of the sorrow.
@Kristen, At BFF's memorial, I mentioned BFF's interview in her application to Harvard. The interviewer asked why she wanted to go to Harvard. BFF said, "Well, I don't really, I'd rather go to Brown, but I thought I'd better have a backup." The interviewer was extremely annoyed and huffed at her, "Harvard is never the second choice!" BFF looked at him and said, "Well, OK then," and left. That was so her.
@A. Marie, The support you are receiving is a true reflection of the kindness and support you have given to everyone in your life
@A. Marie, am so glad that you are commenting again. nice to hear that you have a lot of support. please take good care of yourself.
@Rose, Well ,to quote again.BUT in reverse .Would you want to be part of a golf club that .... I come from Scotland.How well do you play?
@Rose, I have a feeling that both you and your late BFF would have enjoyed the following joke (told to me by my brother at an appropriate point):
Q: Why don't more donkeys go to college?
A: Because nobody loves a wise ass.
@A. Marie, HA! Thanks, pal.
@A. Marie,
So glad your IRL friends are surrounding you with love during this time. I'm not a bit surprised, of course, but it's lovely to hear/read.
When my dad passed away (about 25 years ago), my youngest sister's then-boyfriend/now DH prompted her to tell him funny stories about my dad, which she did - there was laughter amidst the tears, and she said afterwards that it was exactly what she needed. I hope the same for you, A. Marie, and I hope you can feel the live coming your way.
@Liz B.,
Love
@A. Marie,
Ha ha, love it!
@Rose,
Your BFF was awesome!
@A. Marie, Thank you for sharing your journey with your DH with us. I'm so glad you have such a wonderful village (both on line and in person) to support and love you!
I wish there was an Aldi on OBX, but alas, there is not. We usually do leftover/fend for yourself on the last day so all the leftovers are sure to be eaten. But with 2 people, there is still bound to be leftovers.
We have a huge mulberry tree, but the birds attack it every day. Its their summer bird feeder. My husband now saves money, by not having to fill the feeders all summer long. I doubt I would get enough berries to do anything with them. I thought about making mulberry wine last year, but its a 2 year process from what I was reading, so I won't be doing any of that!
Otherwise, nothing really frugal going on in this house. Just managing to eat at home and drink coffee from home. We each got a travel mug from Bass Pro Shops for $10. that is the best at keeping our coffee warm. I've been using it at my desk instead of a ceramic mug. Stays hot for quite a while.
We got our new-to-us horse this week, so how about five frugal things: horse edition? Sure.
--Our new full-size horse--Cora--is half quarterhorse and half mustang. The mustang in her means that she's very thrifty, and THAT means she doesn't need a lot of feed to keep in good shape. She's actually plump as a butterball turkey at the moment just from free grazing in a pasture and not being ridden, so she's on a slimming program. This is a nice change from our previous full-size horse, who was a bottomless pit for quality hay.
--She came without shoes, which is a good thing for us. Our horses don't get used hard like ranch horses, and don't need shoes. That is a significant savings, as farriers are not cheap.
--Her hooves are a bit of a mess--overgrown mostly--but we already have a hoof trimming kit that my husband taught himself to use with our last horse, so he can take care of that. Of course, we don't know how tolerant she'll be of having her feet messed with, but he'll get it done somehow. 🙂
--We had a new saddle that only got used a couple of times before our old horse died. It's too big for the pony, so that saddle and all the tack for it have been sitting around useless. But they fit Cora just fine.
--My oldest son wanted some different bits and things, and asked our elderly neighbor about the tack she had hanging in her barn. She didn't want to take any money for any of it, but he managed to give her $20, and in return got four new bits and some headstalls (known in English riding as bridles, but heaven forfend you call them that here in cowboy country, apparently). He was very pleased and spent much of the weekend soaking them in oil and polishing things up.
@kristin @ going country,
"Heaven forfend"....one of my favorite phrases!
We were out of town this weekend, and packed food for lunch on the way there. We also packed food for the way home, but the children were STARVING and we agreed to stop at McD's.
I've been wanting to get a detangler spray for my 3 girls, and came across a recipe for an extremely simple homemade one (on Andrea Dekker's website, to give credit)
Made bagels at home last week to take with us on our trip. The everything bagel seasoning at Aldi takes these up a notch.
Need the next size life jacket for one kid (some boating/kayaking in our near future), and I'm asking around to a group of friends if anyone has one to sell, before I purchase one new.
We have our pool filter on a timer so that it mostly runs overnight, when (I think??) electricity is cheaper. At least that's the case in the really hot weather, which we haven't had much of yet.
I remembered one more, haha. My usual makeup remover/face cleanser has been discontinued, and I'm not loving the one I bought instead. I remembered reading about the makeup eraser cloth on this site, and bought the mini version. I don't wear makeup often so I think the small cloth will be plenty, and it was half the price of the regular size.
Oooohh, yay! My girls love those eraser cloths for removing their winged eyeliner.
@JP, We have a couple makeup remover clothes that you just get wet w water. They are very soft. A good size. And came from the Dollar Tree. I think it was a 2 pack, but can't remember.
I'm doing my best to stick to a plan to be more frugal, bit by bit. Last week I tallied up a few OTC receipts and submitted them to my HSA for a quick reimbursement of just under $30. Last night I filled out an on-line survey from the burger place I swing by on Monday nights and earned free fries ($2, which means my next meal there will be $3 and change). I didn't buy a single thing from the cafeteria or vending machines this last weekend at work, and took healthy lunches and snacks from home. Also? I was going to take myself to get a pedi this week, but I think I will just do this at home myself, saving myself at least $25 and staying out of the 100 degree plus heat we are expecting!
1. I attended a free concert in the park with my Mom & Sister. I brought ice water from home and didn't buy anything from the food truc was pleasantly surprised that the group singing was excellent and the weather was beautiful.
2. I forgot to buy a baguette at the store so we had a toasted leftover brat bun with butter and garlic toasted with our spaghetti last night. It was good.
3. I'm baking a cake for my youngest daughter's birthday instead of buying one. It's a mocha cake and instead of buying espresso powder I instead used coffee in place of the boiling water it calls for. It's my middle daughters recipe that she adapted. I have all the ingredients so nothing new purchased.
4. I helped a friend to complete some projects on a house that she's selling. Frugal for her but this friend has helped me several times.
Frugal Fail: I broke my tractor again. It was an expensive fix and for what I've put into this tractor in the last few years I could have paid someone to mow my lawn and clean my driveway in the winter. Ugh.
After organizing part of our garage, I had enough stuff to participate in our community yard sale. I didn't make a ton of money because I priced things to move which is fine because that's less stuff to drop off for donation.
I donated a good chunk of the household stuff to a charity thrift store. A few of the bigger items I'm going to list and see if they sell that way.
I took in the waist of a few pairs of shorts to fit my smaller size.
I used part of an old sheet to replace the lining in an insulated tote bag.
My husband used garden herbs to make dinner and I used our new mint and lemon balm plants to make self care cups of evening tea.
- I got free tickets and parking to a minor league baseball game from my company that we used for date night on Saturday
- I mixed up more "stuffing" for the many empty cow hooves that our dog loves
- I put out some mulch leftover from last year. It didn't match the color I used this year but once it was out, the color difference wasn't very noticeable.
- I found a couple of items in Mom's hoarder house that I recycled into gifts for my sister's birthday. They were silly things that had special meaning to me and my sister and we had a good laugh over them. She did get a "real" present too. 🙂
- When we met my sister for her birthday dinner, she brought me a bag of clothes from her closet cleanout. I found a few things that I liked that fit and I will give away the rest.
On the non-frugal side: the boys that do our yard work mowed down one of the new hostas I planted. Fingers crossed it will come back!
When we moved to our new house and got a new sofa, I put aluminum foil all over the areas I thought would be vulnerable to scratching. Very unsightly, but cats try it just once, and are so repelled by the feeling that they learn quickly not to go back, and then you can remove the foil. Six years later and the sofa is in great shape.
Haha, I don't care about unsightly. And besides, scratched leather couches are very unsightly! lol
You might try using foil on the furniture. While unsightly it’s only for a short while, until the kitty gets used to the scratching posts you have around.
Ok! I will try that.
I have done nothing but frugal fails this week. Somehow I promised my mother a new dress, too, along with my daughter picking out a beautiful but $$$ dress. Mom offered to pay but I won't accept it. I also got a matching cardigan and cheap ballet flats. Normally I shun cheap shoes but one, she can't walk anyway, and two, not likely to wear bright pink shoes again anyway.
Bought Son a vintage watch for his upcoming birthday. I always go nuts on my kids' birthdays. Yeesh. We haven't even gotten to his traditional birthday lobster lunch yet either.
Well, OK, there have been some frugal things. Eating from Dinnerly is a million times cheaper than buying groceries locally and less trouble. My next organizer ghosted me so the cleaning lady's daughter came over and we tackled the living room which was filled with my clothes, the kids' clothes, books etc. None of my old clothes fit me anyway (and I refuse to put them downstairs in case I gain weight) so donating to the women's shelter.
I have started mulberries growing, but it remains to be seen if I can beat the birds to them when they start producing. I love mulberries.
1. I harvested a pot full of greens to make a side dish last night. The komatsuna and longevity spinach will both regrow/continue to grow after removing leaves. Of course, that pot full cooked down a lot, but I still got two good-sized servings out of it.
2. When I switched my auto insurance I expected a few dollars back from my old insurance. I was surprised to find a check for $94 in the mail.
3. I drove 90 miles each way for appointments yesterday afternoon, sigh. I packed something to drink and a snack to keep me from buying something. The only thing I bought was gas, and I bought only just what I needed since I can get it cheaper here. I'll fill up for 25-30 cents less per gallon on my way home today.
4. I realized I had let a coupon expire. It wasn't a fail, though, because it was for something I didn't need in the first place, so that just removed the temptation to purchase.
5. I pressure-cooked a cheap stewing hen bought from one of my farmers to make chicken pot pie, then cooked the carcass to make stock. It was a skinny old bird, but I got enough decent meat for the pie, and the stock is surprisingly delicious.
@JD, your #4 is exactly what I say to myself whenever a coupon expires on something I didn't really need anyway. Better not to buy the thing at all than let a coupon tempt us into it.
@JD, your #5 is so true about the stock. Older hens/roosters, pressure cooked, yield tender meat and VERY tasty stock. unfortunately for me, my older roosters are currently still crowing. so I can't put this info to good use just yet. gotta find a day to send them all to freezer camp.....
Please ignore if you already know this, but it is important that cats have a way to scratch because it is natural for them to do so. I have had several cats over the years with minimal furniture damage. I have always made sure they had scratching posts (taller ones so they can stretch) or scratching pads that go on the floor or hang. I put cat nip on them so they are attractive. It sounds a bit goofy, but I would show them the scratching items and scratch at it myself to show them. Also, they don’t like citrus scents so that can repel them from areas you don’t want them to frequent. Good luck! Cats are fun pets and bring a lot of joy!
Yes! I have a scratching post on order for her.
@D and Kristen, my Betty enjoys the corrugated cardboard scratching pads that I pick up for her whenever I see them at Ollie's or other sources. These usually come with a packet of dried catnip, so getting a cat to use them is easy-peasy unless the cat is among the 10% or so that don't react to catnip.
@D,
We did have a semi feral cat that my mom adopted & he became ours when she passed. Mom always let him outside so he never used a scratching post. But when he became ours, he needed to stay inside due to the wildlife, so we bought several scratching posts, pads, etc. He rolled around on the catnip areas, but ignored them otherwise. He loved our dining room rug instead. It had a long pucker about 2 inches high, that didn't seem to go away, so that was just his favorite thing. He'd have the zoomies at night, scratch away & then race back to the bedroom for cuddles. He only scratched at our couch to get our attention when we were watching TV (ignoring him). Once we paid attention to him, he would walk away, like "who me, I wasn't scratching anything".
It was really smart to bring small quantities of things like oil with you. I will remember that. It’s great that you and Sonia had a fun trip together.
1. My daughter who just completed her doctorate came home for a long visit before starting her new job. I realized that her wardrobe was in tatters. She really, really needed new clothes. Since I was unaware of this, I hadn’t budgeted for it. I had her make a needs list which looked a little like a capsule wardrobe, and we hit the thrift stores. We were able to buy 20+ pieces of high-quality clothing for less than $200. She is now ready to go into the office.
2. I found a beautiful Bible in a free pile. It was a family Bible that had place to record marriages, births and deaths. It was a modern version and had never been used. I brought it home and gave it away on BN
3. Although I continue to use the library and the library apps for most of my media needs, I did buy a paperback at the thrift store last week and a design book that I really wanted on eBay. I prefer to take thrifted books to the beach just in case they are smudged by sunscreen or accidentally dropped in the waves.
4. I used a combination of coupons at CVS last week to reduce the cost of my purchases by $15. I then scanned my receipt to iBotta where I earned $2 and Fetch where I received a large number of points.
5. I repotted a succulent garden which had outgrown its planter and rooted many other little babies. My night blooming cereus has taken root, but is not yet growing. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
Not Frugal:
It’s cherry season. Cherries unfortunately do not grow in the hot humid climate of the South where I live. They also happen to be my husband’s favorite. He especially loves Rainer Cherries. He has spent $35 on cherries in 10 days! It sounds glutinous, but cherries are $9 a pound here. I am thankful that this only happens once a year.
@Bee, I bought frozen sour cherries online for pies and preserves. My mom's sour cherry jam (made from our trees) is one of the best things she ever made and I try to carry on the tradition.
@Rose, I’m sure he would love that!
@Bee, Try it! Seriously, anyone can make jam, and sour cherries make it so flavorful. This is the company I ordered from. Yummmm.
https://www.brecknockorchard.com/product/tart-cherries
@Rose,
There are two farms local to me that sell sour cherries. You have to place your order fast, because they sell out quickly. One farm also has a bakery, and their sour cherry pie is 《chef's kiss》 delicious.
@Bee, I spent about $12/lb on cherries from the US a few years ago while visiting Australia, because my kids couldn't remember what fresh cherries tasted like! It was a few years before we returned to the US, so I don't regret buying them!
Sometimes it's the little things, right?
1. While menu planning it occurred to me that I had all the ingredients (mostly, except for celery) to make ham and bean soup on Monday, which was a busy day for DH so he was saved having to go to the grocery store. We had milk that had one more day of life in it, so I used that to make some cornbread with a new recipe that doesn't call for yogurt or buttermilk, and it was quite tasty, I thought. I was happy that past me had stashed half a ham steak in the freezer and saved some chicken broth in the fridge.
2. Went to Kroger to pick up a prescription and was very proud of myself for not making any impulse buys at the store--this is one of my big temptations, for some reason my stupid brain tells me "just treat yourself" but I really didn't need anything, so I didn't buy anything.
3. Had our homeschool assessments and we are down to two kids who are being homeschooled, so that was a little cheaper for the assessment. I do pay our teacher who does the assessments a bit more than she asks for, because she's been working with us for 17 years and is wonderful. Our assessment was at the local Panera and I always feel I should get something there rather than just use the table for free, so I got the cheapest drink on the menu, a hot coffee with refills.
4. Library books! And my youngest and I went to the other little free library in our neighborhood and happily found a book I'm assigning for his literature this coming year, so no need to order that from Amazon!
5. My Frugal Fail (of sorts): my nails have been a hot mess, so instead of saving up some Amazon points I used them to order some cuticle remover and cuticle oil, and I hope I'll have the follow through to tend to them. They've been peeling and splitting like crazy. I also had to order some more xylitol, before my subscribe and save order arrives next week. Boo.
1. It was my birthday yesterday! We ordered in Thai food and went out for ice-cream at the park. We didn't order a separate dish for our toddler, she shared an ice-cream with Mr. B, and there was a 20$ off promotion on the delivery app. Mr. B got me some books I'd asked for. (And his birthday is tomorrow, so I got him the book that he asked for.) Easy-peasy, not too expensive. Last year was a milestone, so we had an outing and a party, but I don't mind a quiet birthday.
2. We didn't eat any meat this week, because we'd had so much the week before! Definitely cheaper, and I didn't miss it. Plus Mr. B went to a work event and got a free brisket sandwich anyway.
3. I haven't been making pumpkin bread (a sandwich bread) because the cost of canned pumpkin is ridiculous--six dollars a can! This week, I cooked and mashed some sweet potatoes from the bottom of the fridge bin and used those.
4. I've been really on top of the berry sales, and we've been able to enjoy raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and cherries week by week as each one gets designated the loss-leader for that week.
5. Frugal fail: Our fridge is a really basic, cheap model. I bought a whole bunch of produce on sale and it FROZE because I didn't put it in the right bin! And it was all stuff that can't be used once frozen, like lettuce and cucumbers. Very disappointing.
@Meira@meirathebear, Frozen lettuce can actually be cooked. If it's a sturdier variety like romaine, it works particularly well. Kind of like bok choy. Frozen cucumbers canbe eaten frozen. We had a produce box get frozen on delivery once, and my kids discovered they like frozen cucumber slices.
Happy happy birthday!!!
@kristin @ going country, wow, I didn't know that! Thanks for sharing. I did see a recipe for spring pea soup in Joy of Cooking that features cooked lettuce (in with the onions at the beginning) that sounds interesting. Will have to try it!
@Kristen, thanks! I love having birthdays. Getting older is great 🙂
@Meira @ meirathebear, Grill the lettuce. Yummy. (only if it's a sturdier type) mmmm Brush with a little olive oil, vinegar, salt & pepper.
@kristin @ going country, Oh! I will have to try cooking frozen lettuce. I have a fridge with a cold spot in the back and if the lettuce gets shoved back it freezes and then I am so sad.
@Meira@meirathebear, If you froze cabbage, let it thaw and the leaves are perfect for making stuffed cabbage, without messing with the boiling of the head to get the leaves soft. I free a head on purpose when I am making stuffed cabbage. I use the rest by pan frying it with onions and bacon; it will keep for several days, so you can eat the stuffed cabbage immediately and have the fried cabbage later in the week.
@kristin @ going country, my daughter loves frozen cucumbers in her water.
@Meira@meirathebear, If I have greens that getting a little old, I throw it into soup. It helps me get my greens in for the day. If soup is not on the menu for that night, I put it in the freezer for later. I generally do this with spinach or chopped kale, but one time I threw the lettuce in there and it worked just as well. I've also thrown frozen greens into the blender with smoothie ingredients. Bet you can do this with the cucumbers, and maybe with whatever else you had that froze.
@Meira@meirathebear,
Pumpkin sandwich bread? Sounds delicious.
@Sue M, it's soooooo good! It's a Stella Parks recipe. She's an incredibly creative and reliable recipe source.
There have been a lot of expenses as of late but I also feel the things we have spent $$$ on will carry us well into the future and yield things that will save us money. Like the fence my husband built around the two gardens...of course we had to spend $$ for materials but it will last us for years & keep our dogs from destroying the gardens. This will add up to veggies & flowers that I can grow, harvest and my family can eat/enjoy.
1. I have been on quite the cleaning & organizing spree lately. I call this frugal because it makes me more content in my space and I discover things that we have on hand and use them up rather than buying more. I removed many outgrown toys and clothes from my son's bedroom, reorganized his drawers and closet, and took a carload of donations to the Goodwill.
2. Cleaning always gives me the urge to run out and buy cleaning supplies but I resisted the urge to buy and used what we had on hand.
3. I harvested cilantro, green peppers, squash, banana peppers, & jalapenos from the garden.
4. Spending the weekend at home cleaning and organizing means that I did not go anywhere which saved me gas.
5. Batch cooking. This week is cub scout camp for my son which means he is hungry all.the.time. I prepared by making several meals, muffins and cookies that we can pull from this week. this kept me from having to buy snack foods which was a savings and far healthier.
Most of the time it feels like we bleed money, but I'm still trying hard to make a concerted effort to have some frugal wins....
1. The food pantry at our building gifted me 2 packs of raspberries and one of cherry tomatoes. Free food is always good!
2. I've been walking to and from work on nice days for exercise and also a bonus of saving gas. I only drive 1.2 miles one way to work, so not saving a ton in gas; I'm doing it more for the exercise benefit.
3. Our oldest daughter invited us over for dinner. I took a salad and bread to share and she also made cookies. She had a bag of clothes for me to go thru.....I got 8 new looking shirts plus 2 flannels.
4. This is a big one.......someone my family knows passed away. Her only son asked my family if they wanted any furniture (for free) as they were just going to give whatever we didn't take to Salvation Army. We got a small cabinet and two end tables for our daughter who just got her own apartment; a tall and a long dresser for our daughter who is home but switching bedrooms (her only dresser is falling apart) plus she needs another dresser for all her clothing; hubby and I got a new kitchen table with 6 chairs (our old chairs were over 30+ years old & falling apart). We were very thankful. We gave the son and his wife a thank you card with a few gift cards for restaurants as they're not from around here, but are staying to put the house up for sale.
5. Hubby had off yesterday while I had to work. It was a rainy day. He did a ton of housework for me and grocery shopped (which I don't like to do), so this took a big load off of me as I'm the one who does the majority of the housework (hubby works a lot). I was so grateful!!
I am struggling on the frugal side of things since we bought a 24000 760 sq foot fixer cottage. We are running into many nonfrugal surprises. This is our fifth fixer. It always comes out okay in the end but THIS STAGE IS PURE STRESS.
Shopping sales. Avoiding food waste.
Walking dog and riding bike for exercise.
Using library app for books on tape.
Oooooh, what an exciting project! I hope that the stressful surprises slow down though.
1.I'm doing a pantry and freezer cleanout for June, so the only thing I purchased at the grocery store was a bag of apples.
2. I watched some Youtube videos on scrap-busting, then pulled out a bunch of fabric scraps from my sewing stash and made two tops and a skirt. Free clothing and more room in my craft room.
3.We ate lettuce, asparagus, rhubarb, and sugar snap peas from the garden.
4. We attended our electric co-op's annual member dinner. Lots of interesting displays, live music and a good dinner. Also a gift bag that included a rechargeable flashlight and a very nice coffee mug (my husband had just broken his favorite, so this was timely.) Attendance was lower than expected, so they also sent everyone home with a to-go box full of food, which made for dinner two nights later.
5. I used water from rinsing vegetables to water potted plants, and when it rained I turned off the outside irrigation to the garden for a couple of days. (Water is our most expensive utility -- the bill is $115 a month before I use even a drop.)
I had a break all last week from physical therapy and did a lot of frugal chores around the house:
1. Shortened and hemmed two pairs of thrifted jeans. Mended a sweater. Took up the waist of a pair of shorts to fit better.
2. Turned the last of a loaf of homemade bread into breadcrumbs and garlic-herb croutons. Cleaned out the fridge and plated up all the leftovers in meal-sized containers. Chopped up a handful of sweet peppers that did not get eaten and froze them as future pizza toppings.
3. Used the remains of a canister of cleaning wipes (bought when my husband caught Covid 19 in July 2020) to clean the blinds. I was stuck at home waiting on a repairman and cleaning all the blinds in the house was a good project. So much dust, though!
4. Used the last of a small can of primer to paint the new siding the repairman put on our house. There was just enough to do the job.
5. The pint of blueberries I bought on Thursday turned out to be really ripe and in need of immediate use. Made a double batch of lemon blueberry bran muffins to use them up and froze the muffins for future breakfasts.
Bonus: Dried two throw quilts and the cat's blanket on racks in the laundry room.
Great tip on freezing food items before packing them to come home in a cooler. Looks like you had a very fun trip.
1. We also had a cat-scratching related frugal activity (frugal fail originally). Our cat had scratched our new screen door years ago, and it has looked unsightly for quite some time, not to mention letting in bugs through holes. We finally bought new netting and replaced the screen on the door, and now we are kicking ourselves for not doing it sooner.
2. The ants have attacked my strawberries in the garden. I read that one way to deter them is to place used coffee grounds around the strawberry plant, as they don't like the caffeine. I have since started to do it and seems to have a good effect. The coffee grinds also add some compost to the soil.
3. Harvested currants and rest of our lettuce in the garden.
4. Shopping at Safeway was aggravating because I could never find some of the digital coupons advertised; one day I "had enough" and went to talk to customer service. A nice employee checked my app and fixed the issue, the app was not set to the correct home store for my location. Most often pays to talk to customer service!
5. My boys need two pairs of swim shorts each season because they swim daily and tend to dirty them quickly in sand etc. I was in a consignment shop and managed to find a second pair used, and another pair stashed away in our attic of hand-me-downs.
A frugal fail of sorts. With the super bad air quality on the east coast from wild fires, I quickly bought not one but two air purifiers to the house. One is being delayed in shipping and we could really just do with one purifier in the house. Also, the smoke is gone for now. On the other hand, we have a lot of seasonal and dust allergies and the purifiers are really meant for one bedroom at a time, so I think I will keep the second one also. Sadly, I think we will also have more episodes of smoke.
Kristen, I had a flashback in reading about the mulberries. My mother always knew if we had been running around barefoot in the backyard (a big no-no in my childhood) by checking to see if our feet were purple from being near the mulberry bushes.
My son’s soccer club is offering a camp this week which thankfully was already included in the cost of this year’s team. The fields are close to our house and we’re able to carpool with another family. This camp is also timed to make it impossible for me to go into the office this week so I’m saving a few gas dollars by working from home.
With my son home for lunch each day I have another person to help eat up all the leftovers and reduce any food waste.
We had a couple of lovely cooler days last week so I was able to turn off the AC and open all the windows.
I picked up a rotisserie chicken from Costco – I was able to make three meals form the meat and I used the carcass to make broth with all the veggies scraps in the freezer.
Staying consistent – reading from my “to-read” pile, coffee at home, checking my pantry before going to the grocery store, batching errands, utilizing the walking trails around our house, taking care of our items… it’s the little things right?
Repeat (five-peat) from what I posted on The Non-Consumer Advocate:
1. Shout-out to USPS! I use their free Informed Delivery service which sends me an email whenever I am about to get mail - and includes pictures of what I will be receiving. Two weeks ago, it showed that we were getting a check from a business that my husband works with. It never came so, using the online dashboard, I reported it as missing and the USPS found it. We are living temporarily in an apartment and the check had been put in my neighbor's slot (apparently he hadn't checked his mail at all for almost two weeks).
2. Bought some canned pumpkin pie mix on clearance to make quick bread. Mixed the leftovers in the can with vanilla yogurt and pecans. Yummy!
3. Wanted to use up some wild blueberry fruit spread so I substituted it for the sugar in a banana bread recipe. So delicious!
4. Tried baking my own yeast bread and it ended up mostly used for bread crumbs and panzanella salad. I'd give myself a 3 out of 10. I like starting near the bottom, then I have nowhere to go but up!
5. Enjoyed some unusual free entertainment in a nearby park. To eradicate invasive buckthorn and garlic mustard, my city hired The Munch Bunch - a group of goats! Not only are they fascinating to watch, they get the job done.
Your comment about ordering online too quickly is so true for me and likely a lot of people. In our haste, we make waste. Going to be more mindful going forward.
Your trip looked lovely.
1. My dental hygienist insists I buy an electric toothbrush like Sonicare which costs around $50. Instead, I found an individual battery-operated toothbrush for around $5, minus the 15% discount I had with my Ollie's Outlet coupon. It is supposed to last for 3 months. Figure four of those will still be cheaper than the fancy one, doesn't need to be plugged in, and won't take up as much space on the bathroom sink.
2. I'm still dealing with the extremely NF major mistake of totaling my 15 y.o. Chevy Cobalt and having to buy another car. But I saved $13 or $14 by scrounging around in the garage and finding one of those heavy foil windshield covers we'd bought some years ago. (These are used when you park in the sun, you put them up against your windshield, and they are "musts" in the summer heat down here in Texas. Shading/covering the windshield helps keep the inside of your car cooler, so you don't come back to a literal "solar oven.") I think it was used for the old mini-van. It didn't fit my late, great Cobalt so I just put it aside. It still looks brand new and (with one side folded in) pretty much fits the Kia.
3. Bonus: also found one of those gizmos that fit around the grocery bags so they don't topple over; we used them in the back of the van years ago, and I'm now using them in the trunk.
4. Taking Defensive Driving to reduce the cost of my traffic ticket and car insurance.
5. Worked out a deal with the yard man where I can pay in installments for him to cut down a dead tree. Which is threatening some power lines in my yard and needs to go ASAP.
1. Not spending $525 at the Buy Buy Baby going out of business sale. We nearly panicked (for several reasons) and spent a lot of money on a stroller we like (and a car seat we weren't fond of). Instead we managed to take a breath and go home for dinner.
2. Installing a ceiling fan in our bedroom. I think this will help us avoid running the AC as much this summer.
3. Buying food for Disneyland. We are packing coffee, snacks and dinner. We will eat some treats in the park but since I mostly eat mini meals this won't be expensive.
4. Getting park tickets from a friend. My husband has a high school friend who is an Imagineer, so he is signing us in for free.
5. I bought a small bundle of used baby clothes yesterday (with a cute button down-shirt style onsie). Hopefully the recent infusion of cuteness will help me resist Disney-themed baby gear. (Our baby is due two weeks before Halloween and can't you just picture him or her in a Baby Yoda baby hat?)
If you ordered the cat scratch sheets from Chewy, call them. They may offer you a refund and ask you to take the ones you have to your nearest shelter. I've had good luck with leather furniture with spraying it daily with Feliway for a couple weeks after I got it. I had five cats at the time, so the fact that none of them scratched the new furniture is a pretty good testament. I love leather furniture with pets because it is so easy to clean, but, over time, it does get a few "picks" where they have used the furniture as a launching pad. 🙁
I am volunteering as a camp nurse this week. For the last 10 years or so, I have come opening/staff week to prep the infirmary for summer. Among other things, this means disposing of all things expired, some of which I find homes for. The horse barn gets all the expired saline/alcohol for use on the horses and a couple of elderly guests don't mind OTC meds expired by a few months. I also scored some ibuprofen and cough drops no one needed for myself.
I don't get paid for my week here, but they do house me and feed me, and that's a "vacation" in my books. Today is actually my 31rst anniversary, and we were married at said camp, so my hubby is coming for the evening and we'll have our anniversary dinner in the dining hall. Ever a cheap date!
Along with cleaning out the expired stuff, I also purchase all new supplies, and use my couponing prowess to save money. This is my donation to the camp every year (when you consider that epipens are included, it gets quite costly), so saving money where I can is helpful.
I'm also babysitting my one year old granddaughter this week while her parents lead a wilderness adventure trip in Quebec (for the same camp), so I'm a little busier than normal....
Have a great week everyone!
1. Picked up some bagged salads on clearance for 75% off and a bag of coleslaw for 54 cents. I don't use a lot of dressing so I saved the left overs from the bagged salad and used it on the coleslaw.
2. Husband needed chips for poker night. At $5.64 a bag for Fritos or Doritos, it's a little crazy. Happened to find (in the pocket compartment in the car door) a coupon that the store sent me for some Kettle chips and stacked it with a digital coupon and paid $1.50 instead.
3. Tried adding a coupon in my grocery store app for watermelons and cantaloupe. Didn't ring up correctly while using self checkout. Flagged down the attendant and he just shook his head and said "ya, the app doesn't always work so good." Glad I always check.
4. Have been putting a couple paper towels on top of the baby spinach and storing it upside down in the refrigerator. It's really extending the life of the greens. I'm kind of the only person in this house who uses them so getting through a pound on my own is kind of tough. This has been a good solution.
5. Have been diligent about returning things that we can't or won't use. And have been trying hard to make sure to look first for things I need at places where we have credit to use up.
@CrunchyCake,
Do you ever saute spinach? We eat a lot of spinach salads, but once in awhile I saute some as a side dish. I love it! TJ's sells garlic infused olive oil. I love to use that, or just plain olive oli.
@CrunchyCake,
I must be tired. I saw that your husband needed chips for poker and wondered why you then switched topics to the price of Doritos. Oh. Edible chips.
@JD, me too, lol. Reminded me that in my youth my cousins and I used to play poker for "chips" (edible ones) just for fun.
Are you within driving distance of Prince Edward island?HOW COOL! It is a palce I’d love to visit.. I am all the way on the “other” coast! SOMEDAY!
I often pack spice packets and bring ingredients when we travel..we stay in airbnbs and I cook a lot.. mostly becasue I love my own cooking.. and to save money too..
Frugal Week: Eating down the freezer. Eating more vegetarian meals. Husband needed all new jean.I mean his were pathetic and no longer fit (he has lost weight in retirement!!) I know where the bargains are: he came home from Costco and Walmart with pants that fit perfectly and look really nice on him!
Frugal FUN: Today is my day to host HAND AND FOOT CARD GAMES at my house for 3 neighbors..no commuting!FREE entertainment and much laughter.We also try to solve the world’s problems while playing. We are of same political persuasion so that’s easy.. whew. Otherwise, with friends of differing opinion, we stay polite! We will eat a healthy lunch of a tuna nicoise salad that uses up ingredients in my cupboard and I made a coffee cake form a mix I had also.i have found that Trader Joe coffee cake mixes require the use of half or whole stick of butter! The KRUSTEAZ brand only requires a 1/4 u0p of oil, an egg and water! WAAAY less money! I COULD bake from scratch but I do love the krusteatz cinnamonn coffee cake so much!
1. I made home made applesauce using apples that were mushy. I used the applesauce to make apple bread that is feeding my kids breakfast all week. I mixed the rest of the applesauce in with Greek yogurt for my breakfasts this week.
2. We used up some items in our pantry and freezer (opened boxes of pasta, canned artichokes, homemade chicken stock, and frozen half bottle of white wine) to make a delicious pasta dish with chicken and mushrooms.
3. My husband cancelled my car wash membership because the car wash is now offering family memberships. This saves us about $10 per month.
4. I renewed my cell phone service with Mint for the year. It costs $202/year and includes data, unlimited txting, and unlimited calling.
5. I won a brand new Starbucks mug and bag of coffee at work. I re-gifted the mug to my son's teacher, for an end of year gift, along with a Starbucks gift card.
My 5 frugal things...
1. We packed food for our trip. My middle child has some food allergies (and celiac), so we packed safe food. We ate picnics for lunch every day. We ate dinner at a restaurant once. The only restaurant in a small town with a celiac-safe option... had her other allergies. So we picked up food at a grocery store and grilled.
2. I packed muffins for the middle child and a parent to eat breakfast, but we took advantage of the free breakfast for the other kids. Tweens eat a lot of food.
3. We picked up some paint samples when we weren't sure which color to get. We missed the paint sale, so I'll wait to buy paint now. My kid can live with some random paint colors on his walls for a bit.
4. I used some leftover fabric to make some pajamas.
5. My husband cleaned the gutters. I held the ladder.
Have you tried tin foil on your sofa yet? That worked well with my cat. She only tried scratching on one side of my sofa so i taped sheets of tin foil to the sofa. She tried scratching it a few times and it didn't work so she just stopped. I was excited!
You are one of three readers that suggested this so I'm gonna give it a try!
@Kristen, and, frugally, then wash and re-use or recycle the foil! Let us know how/if it works!
We were traveling this week, too.
Food/Hotels- I packed some non-perishables, plus a cooler full. With my son’s allergies, I have to pack two days worth of meals/snacks and anything that might be hard to find when we get to our destination. I do freeze certain items, but a plug-in cooler has been a great investment for all those extended travel days! We had most of our meals at my in-laws and they have space to host all of us, so expenses are much lower than they would have been with 10 days worth of meals out and hotel costs (yikes!). Bonus - The company was also excellent.
Entertainment - I had purchased 6 tickets for all of us to go to an aquarium, only to find my in-laws had an older membership that had not yet expired. My money was refunded and we were able to take advantage of that membership in the last few days before it expired. Since we were in Florida, we definitely loved the beach for free entertainment! We were also able to swim in the in-laws neighborhood pool several times.
Extras - We used my Libby app (free from my library) every single night for my 8yo’s story time. I had asked on the FG Facebook page about free/low-cost car activities and I took advantage of many of those suggestions. I printed out free coloring sheets, made a fleece mini-knotted blanket and pillow with fabric scraps, and did a spreadsheet of sorts of the license plates we saw each day.
Thank you once again Kristen, for making me feel not alone. "This is what comes of placing online orders too quickly" - I impulsely ordered an item of clothing from an unknown vendor recently. While it did arrive, I forgot about how the exchange would inflate the price, and also found the fit and quality both less than ideal. Learning my lesson but not beating myself up for it!
Yep! Forget the mistake, remember the lesson. 🙂 https://www.thefrugalgirl.com/forget-the-mistake-remember-the-lesson/
I've been gathering and roasting maple seeds! When the "helicopters" are all over the yard, I pick up piles of them, pull the seeds out, and lightly roast them with the air fryer. I add them to trail mix, cookies, bread, pesto...you name it.
Whoa, I didn't know those were edible!
@Daisy, wait, what? Don't your hands get irritated with the prickles? how do you get the seeds out?
Frugal minds want to know. I have the world's best and biggest Maple tree in my yard (or the nicest one in the Cowichan Valley, according to the 'tree people' who come sometimes to trim the stuff I can't get at)
FFT:
*We planted our garden!
*We used materials we've used for years (cattle panels) and free materials (old hay bales and cardboard boxes salvaged from son's work) in the garden. The cattle panels are for supporting tomatoes and cucumbers, and cardboard covered by hay will keep the weeds down.
*We used our library.
*I made biscuits to go with the sausage gravy my son brought home from his work (a local restaurant). We get such gravy most Sundays when he works in the summer because the restaurant only serves their brunch foods on Sundays. He closes, and it's leftover.
*We made almost all our meals at home. Only two people ate "out" with grocery store foods (hummus, baby carrots, pita chips, and cheese) while at a medical appointment. And the extras came home in a cold bag for others to enjoy at another meal.
Kristen, it is so smart to take those basics to a vacation rental (salt, etc.). The last couple we've stayed at had salt, pepper, and a few basic spices, but they don't all have them.
For a cat that scratches furniture, there is a product called Kitty Caps. They are a plastic cover that fit over a cat's nails - glued on like ladies' acrylic nails. My cat who never scratched before, started to do so the last year of her life. We used these to save our sanity and furniture. They worked great and fall off naturally after time. I learned after they are applied to keep her contained until the glue dried.
1) I found out how much I have left in my research budget before I made my travel plans for a conference next month. It was tighter than I expected, so instead of staying at the conference hotel, I found an airbnb a block away. It was a bit cheaper, but it also has a kitchen. Just having a microwave and fridge means I can bring food with me and only eat out when with colleagues.
2) I packed my lunch for my research trip today. I was planning to take an uber between the train station and the library, but I searched it when I arrived, and it wasn't that far. Despite a little rain, it was a very pleasant walk through a beautiful neighborhood.
3) I was planning to meet a friend for lunch yesterday, but she asked if we could just meet at her house because she was waiting for a big shipment. I made sandwiches to share for a fraction of what I would have spent at a restaurant.
4) I bought a book. I try not to buy new books because if I started buying the books I want it would easily turn into a free for all and quickly fill my house. This is a book I know I will use though, and I used a coupon code a conference participant shared at a recent virtual event.
5) I killed our microwave. Evidently heating six microwave meals one after another was too much for the thing. So I found a microwave on FB marketplace in like new condition marked down to $35. I found the exact microwave new at Target for $90. When I went out to the suburbs to pick it up I batched errands so it didn't feel like a waste of time.
Rented a movie from the library instead of renting it online. It is only a $4 savings or so but over time it adds up.
My dad foraged a bunch of mushrooms and gave some to us. We used up some in bibimbap and then froze the rest.
Made a graduation card instead of buying one at the store.
Made sourdough bread and discard pancakes.
Made stock with a rotisserie chicken carcass. Turned down into tomato soup and froze some for later.
We were able to fly to our "vacation" destination in a 10-seater plane that charges by the kilo, so we saved money over flying commercial. We had a kitchen in our rental house, so we were able to cook most meals there. We ate "snack plates" of fish and chips while at the beach restaurant, which were about half the price of the "dinner" fish and chips. We took daily anti-malarial medication, which I'm sure is cheaper than getting malaria. No one got giardia either.
I’m going to try writing a FFT because for once I feel like I’m actually successfully frugaling it up!
I got really mad at the sheer greed of grocery stores in our area. This coincided with a lengthy time period where I was doing all the shopping as my wife was laid up for several months after surgery. It was a long enough time frame and I was mad enough to start really keeping track of what cost what, where. There is no store that you can assume is cheaper overall! They all have certain things that are deals and other things that are inflated. Now I circulate between four or five stores. I don’t go to all of of them every week, but probably every couple of weeks. I’ve started going online when in one store to compare that day’s price in another store. The other day I did that with our bread. It’s about $6.75 a loaf in most stores. Since I was going to another store after I left the one I was in, I decided to check it online as I hadn’t looked at it at the second store before. It was $4.47! Now I will always get it there.
I think being on adhd meds is really helping. It seems more possible to see the forest instead of just the trees. Who knew being on adhd meds could be a frugal thing!
I’ve also started making lunches for my wife to take to work since her surgery. I do the prep on the weekend and have all the little containers ready to go, and they’re pretty awesome lunches. Since she has such good lunches she rarely goes out for lunch now, which is another savings, as restaurants here are INSANE in these days of inflation.
That isn’t a list of five, but really I feel like I’m doing about a hundred frugal things every week with this grocery thing. One day I sat in the parking lot after picking up some things at a local warehouse that I’d been waiting to get there, and I added up the same items from the website of the store I used to almost always shop at. On that set of items I had saved about 25%. That is significant!